Chumash National Marine Sanctuary

The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary is the first tribally-nominated national marine sanctuary in the history of the United States and the first new sanctuary in California in over 25 years. It will provide an exceptional opportunity for the National Marine Sanctuary Program and Central Coast Indigenous Peoples to collaboratively protect, manage, and steward the area’s rich ecological and cultural resources, drawing from generational Tribal Ecological Knowledge, diverse community input, and innovative academic research. The advisory board for this historic endeavor includes Coastal Band tribal members Slo’w Gutierrez, Michael Khus, Rosemary Lopez, and Roberta Cordero.